Behind the Cork™ - Domaine Bousquet Reserve Pinot Noir

2021 Domaine Bousquet Reserve Pinot Noir ($18)

A step up from their premium varietal line, this ‘Reserve’ Domaine Bousquet Pinot Noir is produced from estate-grown grapes from plots with low yields that offer more of everything – more body, more tannin, and more flavor. The 4,000-foot elevation ensures that, with the right handling, this Reserve Pinot Noir exudes an Old-World elegance prized by wine lovers.

Domaine Bousquet’s Reserve Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes that are manual harvested, undergo cold maceration and then fermented for 15 days. It is then aged for six to eight months in French oak.

This wine is pale ruby in color with subtle red-fruit aromas. It has the characteristic Pinot Noir flavors of raspberry and cranberry with a bit of black cherry and a round finish.

This wine was produced from organic grapes and is vegan friendly. And, at this price, is an exceptional value for a Pinot Noir of this quality. That makes it a great fit as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week! Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet (via Creative Palate Communications)

Ever Wonder? Is Non-Alcoholic Wine Any Good?

Photo by Steven Weeks on Unsplash

As mentioned last time, non-alcoholic wine is actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It then undergoes processes to remove all or part of the alcohol. But, the lingering question remains - Is non-alcoholic wine any good?

Non-alcoholic, or Alcohol-free, wines can taste like regular wine in many ways. They go through the same fermentation process as regular wine, so they can have flavors, aromas, tannin, tastes and mouthfeel just like regular wine.

But, to be called a non-alcoholic or alcohol-free wine, it must contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). So, whereas a 5-ounce glass of red wine is typically 12 percent to 15 percent alcohol by volume and about 125 calories, a 5-ounce glass of non-alcoholic red wine is 0.5 percent alcohol by volume and about 30 to 35 calories.

This is great if you are watching your calories or simply trying to avoid alcohol. But, there are some drawbacks. By removing the alcohol from wine, there are a few key traits that are also removed.

First, most of the aromas in wine come from the surface of the wine to your nose by evaporating alcohol. That’s why you’ll often see someone swirl their wine glass - it yields more aromas. But, when the alcohol is removed from wine, the aromas no longer have their primary delivery method. And, remember, while your tongue can only perceive sweet, salty and sour, your nose is how you distinguish all the thousands of various flavors. So, no alcohol means it's harder for the aromas to reach your nose.

Secondly, a quality wine is considered to be “balanced” when its elements are harmonious and no single element dominates. These elements include acidity and tannins as well as sweetness (residual sugar), fruit and alcohol. Without alcohol, wines can become too sweet, too acidic or too fruity. And, the lack of alcohol can change the ‘mouthfeel’ such that it will be different than a wine that contains alcohol.

So, non-alcoholic wine can taste like wine in a lot of ways. Some have a good balance of acidity, while others are fruit-forward. Non-alcoholic sparkling wines and white wines often get the closest to tasting and feeling like drinking wines that contain alcohol.

Finally, don’t forget the category of low-calorie or reduced alcohol wines. These wines still have alcohol, just in lower proportions. And they’ll have the best chance of tasting like a regular glass of wine. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - LO CA Organic Chardonnay

2022 Domaine Bousquet LO-CA Organic Chardonnay ($14)

LO-CA organic Chardonnay, from Domaine Bousquet in Uco Valley Argentina, is a feel-good, taste-good wine with more altitude, attitude, and fewer calories.

The name is a play on “low-calorie,” but Loca also means “crazy” in Spanish. So, this LO-CA Chardonnay is low-calorie, low-alcohol, low-sugar, vegan, gluten-free, USDA-certified organic, Regenerative Organic Certified™, and Eco cert-approved – how crazy is that!

This LO-CA wine is produced from 100% Chardonnay that is fermented in stainless steel tanks for 12-17 days. Bottling followed shortly after to ensure peak freshness.

This LO-CA Chardonnay is medium gold in color with medium aromas of tropical fruit. On the palate it has flavors or grapefruit and green apple with crisp acidity.

This is an easy to drink, light and refreshing wine that can be enjoyed at any time and fits right in as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week!

Alcohol: 9% Acidity-Ph: 8.4/3.24 gm/L, Residual Sugar: 1.15 gm/L, Calories:75 per 5 oz serving

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Domaine Bousquet (via Creative Palate Communications)

Ever Wonder? How are Non-Alcoholic Wines Made and are they Good?

Non-alcoholic wines have been around for years. But, you may have wondered:

  • “What exactly is non-alcoholic wine?”

  • “How is it made?”

  • “Is it any good?”

First, let’s look at non-alcoholic wine. It actually is ‘real’ wine that’s been made from fermented grapes. It can have similar flavors to wine, just without the alcohol. Although, non-alcoholic wine may still contain a very small amount of alcohol. So, check the label - it will tell you the exact amount of alcohol that it contains.

Now, let’s take a brief look at how non-alcoholic wine made. As stated previously, it starts with "‘real’ wine made from fermented grapes. Then it goes through one of two processes to remove the alcohol. One method is called vacuum distillation where the wine is heated to temperatures where the alcohol begins to evaporate. This temperature is below the boiling point of the wine but, because the boiling point of alcohol is lower than water, the alcohol ‘boils’ off and is pulled away in a vacuum chamber.

The other method is reverse osmosis. This process uses an extremely fine filter that only allows the water and the alcohol to pass through. The filter catches all the fine grape particles that give the wine its color, its tannin and its flavors. The mixture of water and alcohol is then distilled to remove the alcohol. The left-over water is then recombined with the grape solids to form a non-alcoholic wine.

The same processes are used for “low calorie” or low-alcohol wines except they don’t remove all the alcohol.

Now, there’s the final question “Is non-alcoholic wine any good?” And, as you might have guessed, it’s not as good as “real” wine but it does have a lot of similarities. We’ll discuss this a bit more next time. Until then, Cheers!